-
The Gas Men of Maryborough
THE GAS MEN OF MARYBOROUGH John Dunne On the evening of Thursday, January 21, 1858, the town of Maryborough (Portlaoise since 1920), was, for the very first time, lit by gas. But why did this landmark event, this ‘brilliant spectacle’, [1] in the town’s history come as a surprise to the very Company set up to bring gas to the town? Let’s go back to when, so to speak, the first flame was lit… The first piped-gas street lamps appeared in Dublin in 1825. Almost thirty years later, in November 1854, local solicitor Thomas Turpin, ‘who always takes the lead in any matter for the improvement of Maryborough’, [2]…
-
ULYSSES IN LAOIS by John Dunne
ULYSSES IN LAOIS by John Dunne Since it was first published in Paris in 1922, James Joyce’s Ulysses continues to have a curious sort of dual existence. On one hand, it is regularly proclaimed the Greatest Modernist Novel: on the other, it is one of the Most Unfinished Masterpieces of World Literature; year after year, copies are bought with the best of intentions but, often as not, end up languishing in bookcases, unsold in charity shops, yellowing behind the sofa, even – and I have seen this – strategically positioned and forgotten about on expensive shelves and coffee tables. But seldom read from beginning to end. On the simplest level,…
-
The cholera pandemic of 1832 – presented a similar threat to Ireland as Covid 19
The cholera pandemic of 1832 – presented a similar threat to Ireland as Covid 19 Teddy Fennelly tells the story Ireland is in almost complete shutdown in an all-out attempt to stop the spread of the deadly virus, Covid 19. The worldwide range of the epidemic is unprecedented in modern times. We live in the hope that the country will be able to turn the tide on this worrying and invisible threat very soon and with the least possible ill consequences. Almost two hundred years ago Ireland was hit by a similarly devastating pandemic and, unfortunately the country was ill-prepared and had much less resources to cope with the onslaught.…
-
Oliver J. Flanagan by Michael Loughman
Oliver J. Flanagan was for many years a divisive, controversial and at times eccentric figure in Irish politics. He was amongst the longest-serving T.D.s in the history of the state serving continuously from 1943 until 1987 for the Laois-Offaly constituency and for most of this period he was a member of Fine Gael. During his tenure in Dáil Éireann, he was a champion of social conservatism and was well known for his disputable remarks. This was perhaps best reflected in his infamous assertion in 1967 that ‘there was no sex in Ireland before television’. But although comments such as this were the subject of ridicule, Flanagan’s comments in his maiden…
-
Col. James Fitzmaurice – Ireland’s Greatest Aviator
Col. James Fitzmaurice – Ireland’s Greatest Aviator by Teddy Fennelly World War One hastened the advancement of aircraft technology. From use as an experimental armament of war in 1914, its enhanced mobility, stability and speed had established the airplane as an essential weapon of warfare by the time hostilities ceased in 1918. When peace was restored aviators and aviation companies could set their sights on vastly more ambitious projects than had been harboured by pioneers in 1914. There was a worldwide public fascination in the post-war years in aviation and in breaking new barriers in speed, distance and endurance. Transoceanic flight was now seen as an achievable ambition and flying…
